URWERK’s latest move has a crisp, white edge. The Geneva-based independent watchmaker, never shy about testing the limits of form and function, has just released the UR-230 Polaris, a follow-up to its earlier UR-230 Eagle. While the Eagle leaned into carbon’s shadowy allure, the Polaris flips the script, sculpted from a proprietary ceramic-fiberglass composite that marks a stark break from the brand’s moody past.
This is URWERK pushing into a cleaner, more luminous direction. The 44.81mm case, drawn from a ceramic-fiberglass block, is layered to catch the eye at every angle. Its polymer core is woven through with ceramic and fiberglass sheets, each resin-dyed in white, giving the surface a matte, otherworldly quality. It’s a strategic pivot from their familiar blacks and greys.
Co-founder and art director Martin Frei knows something about giving a watch a narrative. He looks at this white ceramic exterior and sees an homage to space-age aesthetics—the kind you’d find in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey or the shielded surfaces of Apollo-era spacecraft. Consider it a deliberate contrast to URWERK’s signature deep-hued cases: Here, bright minimalism is deployed as a futuristic metaphor.
Inside is the UR-7.30 caliber, a mechanical stunner with URWERK’s signature rotating satellites. Four hour numerals dance beneath the blackened interior, each gliding through a 120-degree arc, offering a focused way to read time at a glance. Paired with a trapezoidal structure that stretches toward the six o’clock mark, the watch’s geometry nods to URWERK’s hallmark style while letting the new material language do all the talking.
URWERK, which has recently been revisiting its early-aughts classics with updated materials, is in a phase of evolution. Just last year, it revisited its iconic UR-102 shape with a contemporary twist, signaling that it’s not content to rest on reputation. The UR-230 Polaris continues this trajectory, rolling out a look that’s both space-hued and surprisingly clean.
The watch’s white ceramic front, black DLC titanium back, and rubber strap keep it all feeling current—and ready for the wrist of anyone ready to embrace the brand’s restless spirit. With a price tag of 150,000 CHF (around $169,000 USD), the UR-230 Polaris plays in the brand’s usual luxury strata. Availability details live on URWERK’s official site, but just know that this piece is about crossing another frontier—quietly, and without apology.
